EXCLUSIVE: Autism center abuse whistleblower says there are other victims

Whistleblower speaks out after Autism center abuse

A caregiver at the Anderson Center for Autism has been sentenced to 1 to 3 years in prison for abusing a non-verbal autistic teenager in Dutchess County. FOX 5’s Teresa Priolo reports the case came to light after whistleblower Emmerson Phiri secretly recorded disturbing video of the abuse. Phiri, who was suspended and later fired after alerting the boy’s family, says the teen was not the only victim. In an exclusive interview, he shares why he risked everything to expose the truth.

NEW YORK - A caregiver at the Anderson Center for Autism has been sentenced to prison following disturbing video that exposed abuse of a non-verbal autistic teenager. The man who filmed the abuse, a whistleblower and former staff member, is now speaking exclusively to FOX 5 about what he witnessed inside the facility.

What we know:

Garnett Collins, the former caregiver seen in a viral abuse video, was sentenced to one to three years in prison for endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person.

Autism center worker headed to jail after FOX 5 investigation

In November, a FOX 5 NY investigation into abuse at Dutchess County's Anderson Center for Autism sent shockwaves through the disability community. Now, the man caught on camera grabbing a teen by the genitals is headed to jail, FOX 5 NY's Teresa Priolo reports.

The whistleblower who recorded the abuse—Emmerson Phiri—spoke publicly for the first time to FOX 5 NY. He told FOX 5 that the teen seen in the video was not the only victim at the Anderson Center, and that almost every patient was abused. 

Phiri, who is originally from Malawi, came to New York to learn from the staff at Anderson with hopes of bringing that knowledge back to Africa. What he says he found instead was "inhumane" abuse.

"What was happening was inhumane. It was a violation of human rights," Phiri said. 

Phiri reported the abuse to a manager.

"She said she was going to deal with it, and also she said that what happened in the house ends in the house," Phiri said.

The abuse did not stop and Phiri continued reporting it until his managers began retaliating. 

Eventually, he decided to record what he was seeing as proof that he was telling the truth.

Asked if he regrets his actions, Phiri replied, "No, I don’t regret at all. Not at all."

What they're saying:

At Wednesday's sentencing, Judge Edward McLoughlin acknowledged the limits of Collins' sentence, saying the punishment was constrained by New York State’s sentencing guidelines.

"With what he did, the sentence is just too little," Phiri said.

The family of the abused teen issued a statement after sentencing:

"Sitting in the courtroom today and hearing Garnett Collins receiving only 1 to 3 years in prison for the abuse and sexual assault of our son was another injury inflicted on our family. The only solace we have is knowing this monster will not be hurting anyone else’s son or daughter for the next 1 year… but this is not enough. We need to do more."